Survey: Help Improve Cycling Safety on Irish Roads

A research team at the Department of Engineering in Trinity College Dublin are undertaking a PhD project funded by the Irish Road Safety Authority, with the aim to reduce the vulnerability of cyclists on Irish roads.

If you have cycled a bicycle on a road in the past 12 months and you are over the age of 18, then please click on the link below and take 15 minutes to fill in this online survey. You could be in with the chance to win a €100 One-for-All voucher!

See below for further information relating to the study, received from the School of Engineering in Trinity College.

A POPULAR MODE OF TRANSPORT

Cycling has seen a large increase in popularity in recent years, both nationally in Ireland, and in the European Union (EU). Between 2011-2016 there was a 43% increase in the numbers of cyclists commuting to work in Ireland. As a proxy for leisure cyclists, Cycling Ireland’s membership has also been seeing a large increase in recent years. This is a welcome development, cycling is great for societal health, the environment, and decreases the amount of traffic congestion, so Ireland and the EU are committed to encouraging this trend.

Cyclists are one of the most vulnerable classes of all road users, they are highly exposed to the environment, and when involved in a Road Traffic Collision (RTC), there is a high likelihood that they will sustain injuries. The Road Safety Authority of Ireland (RSA) is funding and supporting this PhD project with Trinity College Dublin which aims to identify the engineering risk factors associated with cyclist collisions in Ireland, with an explicit emphasis on prevention/reduction of injuries.

CHANCE TO AIR CYCLING SAFETY CONCERNS

Cyclist collisions are the least likely of all RTC’s to be reported to the Gardaí. In particular, collisions resulting in no injuries or minor injuries, as well as collisions not involving motorised vehicles have been shown to be greatly under-reported. The aim of this study is to enhance understanding of the factors which contribute to the occurrence and severity of cycling collisions throughout Ireland, with the goal of determining injury prevention strategies.

Accordingly, an online survey is being distributed to cyclists across the country, with the aim of increasing knowledge about cycling collisions in Ireland and the details surrounding them. We will also gather road safety concerns from cyclists who haven’t been in collisions, but who regularly cycle. Respondents will be excluded from participation in the survey if they do not cycle regularly on public roads, or if they are under 18 years’ old. As an incentive for participation in the survey, respondents will be entered into a raffle for several €100 one-for-all vouchers. The survey has ethical approval from the Faculty of Health Sciences Ethics Committee, in Trinity College Dublin.